Why Job Seekers Are Walking Away From Your Hiring Process

If you’re a hiring manager, there’s a good chance you’re finding it harder to hire this year than you did last year. The unemployment rate just fell to its lowest level since 1969, so competition is especially fierce for good workers. In fact, it now takes 82 percent longer to fill jobs than it did in 2010. On average, companies need 31 days to fill an open role.

I heard these statistics at an event I recently attended, hosted by Glassdoor. There, the company shared some very interesting findings that I want to talk about today. In particular, I want to focus on Glassdoor’s research into why employers are losing their top candidates.

Glassdoor identified three major frustrations job seekers face during the interview process: a lack of information about the job’s pay and benefits, interview cancellations and postponements, and unresponsive recruiters/hiring managers.

“Job seekers clearly feel that understanding the total compensation package, including pay and benefits, is absolutely essential to fully evaluate a job opportunity,” Glassdoor’s Global Head of Talent Acquisition Julie Coucoules said during the event.

I bet you can relate. The last time you looked for a job, I’m sure these things were at the top of your mind, too. To keep top candidates engaged, you should share salary and benefits information up front. Don’t turn the first screening call into a game where you try to outsmart the candidate and get their salary requirements first.

Similarly, it’s important to be respectful of your candidates’ time. Keep your commitments, and let people know when you’ve moved on. Nothing is more stressful than not knowing whether or not you’re still in the running for a job.

Glassdoor also found a number of reasons that would make top candidates pull out of the recruitment process altogether. The top reason was that an employer has recently announced layoffs. That makes sense: Nobody wants to accept an offer for a job that could already be on the chopping block.

Other reasons given include a bad first interaction with a recruiter or hiring manager (cited by 40 percent of survey respondents), negative employee reviews (35 percent), company or leadership scandals (33 percent), and negative news coverage about the company (32 percent).

The most straightforward suggestion I can make based on Glassdoor’s survey results is this: Treat each candidate with the respect you’d want to receive in the hiring process. Beyond that, don’t undervalue the importance of your company’s online reviews and media presence. The hiring process has become a two-way street, thanks to the unprecedented transparency of the internet.

A version of this article originally appeared on Copeland Coaching.

Angela Copeland is a career coach and CEO at her firm, Copeland Coaching.